The first time Harrison Ford really burst onto moviegoers’ radar was as the Stetson-wearing Bob Falfa in the 1973 film “American Graffiti.” From that, he got a carpentry gig remodeling director George Lucas’ office, and as a result of that association snagged small roles in the Francis Ford Coppola films “The Conversation” and “Apocalypse Now.”

Smash-cut to present day. On July 29, Ford will share the marquee with Daniel Craig in the action-adventure film “Cowboys & Aliens.” A lot of celluloid has gone by since Ford cruised the streets of Modesto in that cherry ’55 Chevy. He established himself as a Hollywood superstar in the “Star Wars” series and the “Indiana Jones” franchise, along with “Blade Runner,” “Witness,” “Patriot Games,” “The Fugitive” and many others.

“Statistically I would say no, that he no longer has that kind of power as a movie star,” said Grae Drake, film critic for movies.com. “If you look at his movies from the past 10 or 11 years, there’s nothing that you could say was highly acclaimed, or nothing that was a huge breakout hit at the box office, with the exception of the last ‘Indiana Jones’ film, which had a lot of built-in nostalgia money in it.”

But Drake said that even though the Harrison Ford of 2011 isn’t as bankable as he might have been in previous decades, his presence in any film adds value.

“He’s like a comfortable blanket that we all like to put on,” Drake explained. “But he, like Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts, realize that monetarily they’re not pulling in the kind of attention they used to.

“I like to believe he’s slowed down because that seems to be appropriate for an actor of his age. He’s long proven himself. He’s been working for over 40 years. And he can do anything — action, comedy, thrillers, drama. He’s everyman.”

It’s that last point that probably drives the Harrison Ford ethos to this day. Over the years, in one handsome leading-man role after another, Ford has embodied the qualities of a protagonist that build trust and carry over from project to project.

Jay Mechling, a professor emeritus of American studies at the University of California-Davis, explained that what Ford isn’t is “a hero who is a loner with special skills of violence,” someone like the heroes of “Shane,” “Dirty Harry” or “Rambo.”

“The other sort of hero is that everyman, thrust into a situation involuntarily, sometimes by accident,” Mechling said. “(Director Alfred) Hitchcock loved using Jimmy Stewart in that role. Harrison Ford has had a string of roles where the hero is thrust into that situation where he must act to save someone.”

Everyman actors need specific qualities, Mechling said. “I think it’s the way they act with their faces and voices, their body language and speech patterns,” he said. “Stewart had it in his droopy, sad look and his stuttering delivery. He was tall, but could portray resignation in his shrinking body. He could convey bewilderment.

“The everyman is at the mercy of people and forces he barely knows and barely understands. He chooses not to be a victim in the face of this bewilderment and threat.”

One of the most underrated examples of this is Ford’s performance as Dr. Richard Walker in the 1988 Roman Polanski thriller, “Frantic.” In it, Ford arrives with his wife for a conference in Paris, and she disappears. Suddenly, he is presented with an emotional trauma mixed with mystery, and as the everyman, must figure out what happened and get his wife back.

Richard Loncraine, who directed Ford in the 2006 thriller “Firewall,” said it almost doesn’t matter what film the actor’s in. Ford brings a level of authenticity to his work that applies to any material.

"I haven't seen ‘Cowboys and Aliens,’ ” he said, “but if there is one quality that Harrison can bring to this film, apart from being a superb actor, it’s that he could make anything seem believable, even cowboys and aliens.

“When we worked together on ‘Firewall’ he was as staunch an ally as any director could wish for. ('Cowboys' director) Jon Favreau was lucky to have him on board."

While Ford is at that stage of his career where his body of work speaks for itself, there is still a nagging suggestion that he might need a hit in order to burnish his reputation.

“My instinct says that there is nothing at stake for him because he is already a superstar,” Drake said. “It’s hard to say whether this is going to bring him back somehow.” Drake added that the focus on “Cowboys & Aliens” as a big summer release will be more on whether audiences buy the concept, not on one particular actor.

“I wonder if, at this time in his career, it just looks like a lot of fun,” Drake added. “Harrison Ford deserves to have fun at this age. He’s delighted us for decades.”

Michael Ventre is a regular contributor to Today.com. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelVentre44.

Chairman of the board

Harrison Ford cradles the Board of the Governors Award he was presented with at the 26th annual American Society of Cinematographers' Outstanding Achievement Awards, held in Hollywood, Calif. on Feb. 12, 2012.
(Angela Weiss / Getty Images)
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What's the story, 'Morning Glory'?

Ford and Rachel McAdams attend the UK premiere of their 2010 film, "Morning Glory," held at The Empire Leicester Square on Jan. 11, 2011, in London. He plays a veteran journalist and she an aspiring producer in the world of morning television.
(Dave Hogan / Getty Images)
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'Extraordinary Measures'

In 2010's "Extraordinary Measures," Brendan Fraser, right, plays John Crowley, a biotechnology executive, whose two youngest children were afflicted with Pompe disease. He raises money for research scientist Robert Stonehill (Ford), forming a company to develop a drug to save his children's lives.
(CBS Films)
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'Crossing Over'

Ford plays an immigration officer in 2009's "Crossing Over," which explores the allure of the American dream, and the reality that immigrants find --- and create -- in 21st century Los Angeles.
(The Weinstein Company)
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Advocate

Indy returns!

Ford reprised his role as Indiana Jones in 2008's "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." Shia LaBeouf played Mutt, Jones' son with "Raiders of the Lost Ark" paramour Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen).
(Paramount Pictures)
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Meet the press

Ford answers question as he arrives at the Rome Film Festival in October 2006. Ford was at the festival to honor Jim Berkus, co-founder and president of the United Talent Agency.
(Vincenzo Pinto / AFP-Getty Images)
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Drama king

Ford promotes his film "Firewall" at the Coliseum Cinema in Barcelona on March 2006. The film tells the story of a bank-security executive (Ford) who must rob his own bank in order to ensure the safety of his kidnapped wife and children.
(Lluis Gene / AFP-Getty Images)
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Jedi mind trick

Flockhart and Ford pose with storm troopers at the 33rd American Film Institute Life Achievement Awards after-party on June 9, 2005 in Hollywood, Calif. Ford starred as Han Solo in "Star Wars," "The Empire Strikes Back," and "Return of the Jedi."
(Vince Bucci / Getty Images)
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True star

Ford attends a ceremony honoring him with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on May 30, 2003 in Hollywood, Calif.
(Vince Bucci / Getty Images)
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Ready for action

Ford films a scene on the set of "Hollywood Homicide," on Sept. 17, 2002 in Beverly Hills, Calif. He co-starred with Josh Hartnett in this film about two moonlighting L.A. cops.
(Frazer Harrison / Getty Images)
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Real hero

On July 10, 2001, Ford used his helicopter in a search-and-rescue mission in Jackson, Wy. Ford located 13-year-old Boy Scout Cody Clawson, who had wandered off the trail. Clawson's mom told People magazine, "Cody said the kids asked if he got an autograph and he said, 'No, but I got a hug and a handshake, and that's better.'"
(Getty Images / Getty Images)
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Pensive pair

Ford starred opposite Michelle Pfeiffer in the 2000 film, "What Lies Beneath." The pair played a husband and wife who are haunted by a specter from Ford's past.
(Dreamworks)
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Former couple

Ford and his former wife Melissa Mathison attend the premiere of "Six Days and Seven Nights" on June 8, 1998. The two divorced in 2004 after more than two decades of marriage.
(Brenda Chase / Getty Images)
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All wet

Harrison Ford and Anne Heche starred together in "Six Days Seven Nights" as feuding pair who crash on a deserted South Seas island. The film was a notorious flop.
(Touchstone Pictures)
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Power player

Ford is greeted by President Bill Clinton and British Prime Minister Tony Blair at a 2005 White House state dinner honoring Blair and wife Cherie.
(Joyce Naltchayan / AFP-Getty Images)
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Turbulent flight

Harrison Ford starred as the president of the United States in 1997's "Air Force One." The presidential plane is hijacked by bad guy Gary Oldman.
(Columbia Pictures)
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Harvard follies

Ford beams as Nick Gordon and Jason Watkins plant a kiss on him during the Hasty Pudding Theatrics Man of the Year Award Presentation at Harvard University, in Cambridge, Mass., on Feb 20, 1996.
(Stuart Cahill / AFP-Getty Images)
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'Working' for a living

Ford teamed up with Melanie Griffith in this 1988 film about a Staten Island-raised secretary who gets her corporate big break when she impersonates her injured boss -- and stealing her boyfriend (Ford) in the process.
(20th Century Fox)
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'Mosquito Coast'

In this 1986 film, Allie Fox (Ford) and his wife take their family to Central America to build a paradise that is never found.
(Warner Bros.)
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Top cop

Ford starred as Rick Deckard in Ridley Scott's 1982 film "Blade Runner." In the sci-fi thriller, Deckard must track down and kill four replicants (human clones).
(Warner Bros.)
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The birth of Indy

Ford struck cinematic gold starting as swashbuckling archeologist Indiana Jones in 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark." The film sparked three sequels.
(Paramount Pictures)
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'The Frisco Kid'

This 1979 comedy, directed by Robert Aldrich, tells the story of a Polish rabbi (played by Gene Wilder) who is traveling to San Francisco, and Ford as a bank robber who befriends him.
(Warner Bros.)
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Reporting for duty

Early break

Director George Lucas took notice of Ford early, casting him in his 1973 film "American Graffitti" opposite other rising stars such as Richard Dreyfuss and Ron Howard.
(Universal Studios)
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Editor's note:
This image contains graphic content that some viewers may find disturbing.